August 2004
Is The Big Low Carb Boom Steering Consumers Wrong?
By Graeme and Kate Street

I’ve got good news and bad news. First the good news: with the popularity of low carb diets gaining momentum on a daily basis, low carb dieters are being presented with a wide variety of food choices we’ve never experienced before. Never again will we have to dredge through the trenches of half a dozen grocery stores, health food stores, and on-line stores to find low carb products because now they’re everywhere. Nowadays you can find anything from low carb bread, milk, ice cream, candy, chips, and even low carb beer right at your local grocery store.

Now the bad news: most of these new low carb products are not nutritionally sound and some will even sabotage your weight loss efforts (hey, don’t shoot the messenger!) It’s important to understand that food companies make up a trillion dollar industry. Many of the foods that are hitting grocery store shelves today are motivated not by concern over our health, but simply by money. These companies know that growing numbers of low carb dieters are desperate for variety and convenience and that’s what they’re providing – but it’s got nothing to do with nutrition.

In a way, the low carb industry was better when it was “underground.” True, we faced a lot more criticism and a lot less support. But, back then low carb companies had integrity. Those involved with low carb products, truly believed in the diet and followed it religiously. Now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon simply because they see the financial potential – and many of the driving forces behind these larger low carb companies don’t even follow a low carb diet themselves!

Unfortunately, low carb diets have the possibility of going the same way of low fat diets – consumers will eat all the low carb chips, cookies, candy (insert your favorite here) simply because hey, they’re low carb! Remember thinking the same thing about low fat crackers, bagels, and pasta? Low fat foods got us no where except fatter and if we’re not careful, our low carb diet will end up having the exact same result. Our responsibility as consumers is to weed through all the new low carb products and figure out which ones are good and which ones are junk.

It’s really not that hard a task either – all you need is a little common sense. Chicken, fish, meats, nuts, vegetables, and cheese – all good low carb choices. Low carb candy, chips, ice cream, and beer – well, c’mon, can we ever really call these types of foods healthy? Low carb or not, it’s still junk food.

Be meticulous about reading labels – and not just the nutritional label but the ingredients as well. Look for things like partially hydrogenated soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup, malitol, sorbitol, and monosodium glutamate – and if you see any of these ingredients put that product back down and never look back. These ingredients can be detrimental not only to our weight loss efforts but also our health.

Partially hydrogenated soybean oil is a man-made fat – much worse for us than even saturated fat. High fructose corn syrup is a very inexpensive form of sugar – sugar! Malitol and sorbitol are known as sugar alcohols. Supposedly they have no impact on our blood sugar – but instead they largely impact our gastrointestinal tracts. If you’ve ever eaten a fair share of sugar free candy, you know what I’m talking about. And monosodium glutamate is otherwise known as MSG – need I say more?

Better choices for low carb dieters are beans (which are naturally high in fiber and low on the glycemic index), fruit, and whole grain breads with fiber, visible seeds and nuts (I buy an 8 gram carb per slice sprout bread that’s nutty, hearty and delicious – you can’t tell me low carb bread with no fiber or substance is more nutritious!)

Don’t get so obsessed with carb counting that you ignore proper nutrition. When it really comes down to it, it’s not the quantity of carbs we’re eating – it’s the quality. Look for wholesome, organic carbs and eat one serving three times a day. When you’re eating high-quality, nutrient-dense food the carb count will naturally fall into place. And never forget – the best food choices (like vegetables, fruits, and protein) don’t even need a nutrition label. The fact is, the best low carb choices are already available. The new products are superfluous, money-driven and designed to confuse even the savviest consumer.

Here are some rules to abide by:

• Eat protein at every meal and snack – this will help fill you up and keep you satisfied longer.
• Eat vegetables at least 3 times a day (in our book veggies are a free food). Eating veggies with most meals will fill you up with fiber so you won’t have room to eat more than one carb serving.
• Aim for 5 small meals spread out through the day with 3 carb servings interspersed.
• Carb servings = 1/2 fruit or 1/2 cup berries, 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup beans or whole grain cereal.
• Eat plenty of good fat – olive oil, nuts, peanut butter, cheese, and salmon.

Following these simple rules will place you among the most successful low carb dieters.

So what about those low carb candy, chips, and ice cream you’ve come to know and love? Scrap them! If you eat well most of the week you can get away with a treat once a week. And when I say treat, I mean full carb! Bring on the pizza and ice cream!

I feel the need to point out that I do not personally agree with, and never followed anything like, the advice about allowing yourself full-carb treats once a week such as pizza and ice cream. I think that would have brought all my cravings back full-force, and caused me to fail.

The rest of the article, however, is RIGHT ON...